Fandral/sheet
Skills * Swordsmanship - Expert - As with most (if not all) of his skills, Fandral has had centuries of training and experience, but he favours two weapons (and their respective styles) above the rest: swordsmanship, and archery. He is regarded as a Master of both the sword and bow, across the Nine Realms -- even so much as to contend with the Lady Sif for the title of ‘Best’. He is at least generally regarded as the swiftest of the Warriors Three, no matter what weapon he has in hand (if any). He is also at least the equal of the anti-hero known as The Swordsman, if not his better -- and Thor himself named Fandral "the best of us all with a blade." He prefers the rapier to most weapons -- with the exception of the enchanted katana, Grasscutter. * Archery - Expert - Robin Hood was famous for his mastery of the bow (among other things), and Fandral... was Robin Hood. Although he tends to wield a sword more often, he is still a ‘crack shot’ with a longbow. A bow of Asgardian make is strong enough to put one of its arrows through solid walls (depending on the wall). * Warfare - High - Although he is not quite the tactician that Sif is, or Hogun, Fandral has a keen mind and has trained for many years in the art of warfare. He does not have the ‘genius intellect’ that would be attributed to others (such as Lex Luthor, Batman or even Loki), but he is no fool at the very least, especially where war is concerned (or women). * Riding - Expert - Having spent most of his centuries of life on the back of an equally long-lived steed, Fandral is a master horseman. Firehooves is well-named, and shares a special bond with Fandral that only another horseman/horsewoman would truly understand. He has ridden into warfare countless times on this animal, and they both have the scars to prove it. * Driving/Piloting - Medium/High - This mainly applies to Asgardian ships and vehicles that rely upon technology and magic combined to operate. He is far from 'the best' there is (especially given his preference of horse-riding), but he is competent enough after centuries of practice. * Courtly Etiquette - High - Be it from his time in Asgard in the courts of Odin, or from his mysterious background prior to that, Fandral knows his way around a royal court as he does around the local tavern. He still prefers the outdoors and fighting Frost Giants to nodding and bowing to haughty nobles. * Literature - Medium/High - Despite the fact that much of Fandral’s ‘scholarly’ pursuits have been tales of epic battles, vicious monsters and damsels in distress (all told in verse), he is still the most ‘well-read’ of the Warriors Three -- with the possible exception of Hogun. As Fandral would say, the written word... feeds the mind’. * Linguistics - High - Fandral is fluent in a number of different languages, of various Realms (not just Midgard). These include: Norse/Ancient Norse, various Asgardian dialects, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Latin. * Singer/Poet - High - Fandral is a tenor, and a melodious tenor at that. If he is not quoting poetry, he is singing it. He enjoys many a duet with Volstagg (singing mainly about food, drink, women, and battle), as they travel. Now if only he can persuade Hogun to take the baritone part... against Volstagg's barrel-tone... Powers and Abilities * Superhuman Strength -''' Fandral has the superhuman strength of an Asgardian who keeps himself extremely fit, and combat-ready. He is far from being as strong as someone like Thor (or even Volstagg, Hogun or Sif for that matter), but that still puts him in a category above the average Asgardian (and leagues above a human). At his peak, he can lift approximately 30 tons. * 'Superhuman Speed -' This (combined with Agility and Reflexes) is Fandral’s true forte. There are precious few folk who would contest the fact the Fandral is the swiftest of the Warriors Three -- including also Thor and Sif. He is many times faster than the fleetest of Midgard’s athletes, as are his reflexes (he can catch arrows out of the sky). He relies far more upon his incredible speed and agility in battle, than upon his brute strength -- practically dancing around the battlefield, never remaining in one place for more than a second. He is the acrobat of the Warriors Three, although he does not have the parkour training that someone like Nightwing would have. * 'Superhuman Stamina -' Fandral’s body does not produce the same amount of fatigue toxins that mere humans do. He is capable of operating at peak efficiency (in constant battle if need be) for a full 24 hours before he begins to slow down at all. * 'Superhuman Durability -' Like all Asgardians, Fandral’s physical body is more dense than a human’s, and highly resistant to injury and illness -- thus, superhuman by Earth standards. His physical form can withstand high impact forces, such as energy blasts, high calibre bullets, extremes of temperature... all without sustaining injury. He is not as hardy as Volstagg, or Hogun, and against the much more powerful foes in Asgard (compared to Midgard), he must rely more upon his speed, rather than his durability, to survive and win. Some Midgard (from either Earth-24800 or Earth-24) materials can do the same kind of damage Asgardian steel can -- or worse. These include: adamantium, vibranium -- to name a couple. * 'Healing Factor -' Fandral can be injured the same way any Asgardian can, and he can recover just as quickly. Minor wounds will heal within hours -- major/critical injuries may take days. He is generally immune to most diseases (Earth-diseases, that is), and poisons, etc -- but there are substances in Asgard that can kill him. The healing factor of the typical Asgardian is nothing compared to that of Wolverine, for example. Specials * '''Extraordinary Appearance - Fandral is to women as honey is to bees. He is ridiculously good-looking, and just as charming -- and he knows it. Not everyone falls for his charms (and some merely end up frustrated with him), but even so, his confidence in his charisma is very well-placed. * Celebrity - This applies moreso to Asgard than Midgard, but Fandral is famous. He, just like Thor, Sif, Volstagg and Hogun is watched carefully in his home-realm, and not always by nice people. Women love him -- their husbands... that's a different matter. * Family Matters - Fandral is one third (the charming third!) of the Warriors Three -- they are his family. Thor is family. Sif is family. What concerns them -- concerns him, and vice versa. True, he has them to call upon when the need arises, but it is also true that they get to call on him -- and he answers. None of these people live particularly simple or easy lives... * Immortality - Asgardians are... more or less immortal. They do not quite live forever as the gods of Olympus do, but they age very, very, very, very slowly. Fandral is already centuries old -- but he looks fantastic, wouldn’t you agree!? * Veteran Superhero - The term ‘superhero’ is a relatively new one, for Fandral -- but he is a veteran warrior and adventurer (just about any ‘famous’ Asgardian is). He has seen... some very wondrous things in his time (and not just referring to the women he has dated). Resources, Gear, and Paraphernalia * Firehooves - Steed - Fandral raised this horse from a foal. As with other Asgardian-bred steeds, Firehooves shares some physiological advantages that grant him great strength, speed, durability and longevity. Fandral and Firehooves have been a ‘team’ for centuries, and the stallion can outrun most formula-one racing cars. * Word - Rapier - Fandral’s pride and joy. For a long, long time this was his weapon of choice (with the longbow ranking at a close second). Word is wrought of Asgardian steel and strong enough to withstand blows from most other weapons he has encountered across the Nine Realms -- it is, however, just a ‘very well-made sword’ by the standards of his people, and there are plenty of weapons out there that could shatter it in one blow (it would probably fail against adamantium after a heavy-enough direct blow -- but Fandral is cunning enough in his swordplay to avoid that...maybe). * Grasscutter - Katana - Fandral was awarded this amazing weapon after a specific adventure to clear his name (and the name of his friends, including Thor) of a murder-charge. Unlike his rapier, Grasscutter is enchanted -- while the metal of which it is made remains a mystery, it is unbreakable and will slice through almost any substance with ease (barring a select few that include uru, adamantium, vibranium and other similarly enchanted weapons or objects/minerals). The second aspect of Grasscutter’s enchantment binds it to Fandral -- he can give it away, but it cannot be taken. Grasscutter's most famous power is a form of aerokinesis; wielders of the sword have been able to project gusts of wind, create 'lift' (i.e. wind-assisted leaps), and even summon small whirlwinds - all through specific motions with the blade. Flaws and Drawbacks * Arrogance - There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and Fandral blurs that line a great deal -- and often. This causes him to be often misunderstood... and at other times, he earns the misunderstanding. He does not always make friends with his bravado. * Hidden Pain - There are so few who know the real Fandral, so few who know anything about what drives him -- at least what drove him in the beginning to leave his home and swear himself to Odin’s court. Fandral’s love for Marian may have played a part in this... but he keeps such sentiments close to his heart. Of the would sneak away from the adventures he so enjoys, to visit Marian’s lonely grave. Only those closest to him get to see his pain -- and the rest merely assume he is shallow. * Enemies, Lots of Enemies - Frost Giants, Dark Elves, Flying Trolls, Furies, A.I.M. Agents, HYDRA Agents, Daemonites, the Enchantress, Hel, Surtur, the Fenris Wolf, jealous husbands... the list goes on and on. Fandral has quite the array of foes now, and since he does very little to hide... they have little trouble in finding him. * Weakness for Women - If ever there were a weakness that Fandral's enemies could exploit, it would be his penchant for beautiful women. He cannot help himself. This has been used to his disadvantage before, and will surely be thus used again. Will he ever learn? Relationships * Thor - Thor is... a force of nature more than a man -- at least, that is how he often comes across. As much as he can create and control storms... Thor is the storm, and Fandral will follow that storm anywhere it leads. Thor is the truest of friends, the mightiest of warriors, and the greatest of leaders... and he's also (sometimes) an arrogant prig who needs the help of his friends (namely Sif and the Warriors Three) more than he would ever admit. * Sif - The Lady Sif is... not to be trifled with. Or wooed (not by Fandral). Or competed against (too often). Or taken for granted. Fandral doesn't actually view her as a potential conquest/lover; Sif is a comrade and like a sister to him -- a tougher, older, as-deadly-as-she-is-beautiful sister. One does not get on Sif's bad side. Ever. There are worse fates... but would you just behold that magical, raven hair... * Volstagg - People call him 'the Enormous' with good reason. Fandral has never met anyone with even half the appetite Volstagg has. Whatever the legends say of it him... they fall far short of reality. Volstagg may act the fool, the clown etc, he he is truly a warrior at heart, and Fandral respects him greatly. * Hogun - Fandral has been on a mission -- a terrible, perilous mission... to get Hogun to smile. Really smile. A proper, decent, teeth-showing, ear-to-ear smile. And then, when he finally achieves this goal (which has already taken centuries), Fandral will set out to make Hogun grin. To many, Fandral and Hogun seem to be the most unlikely of friends, and yet... they complement each other so perfectly. * Balder - Balder is like the 'older brother' that interferes with one's mischief every so often, then disappears in between on 'important matters'. It is not entirely a criticism (on Fandral's part), but he does find Balder a little too preoccupied with 'important matters', just a little too often. * Loki - "Pray tell, what has he done now?" Loki has everything, so why should cause such mischief and grief? Fandral is not one to shy away from the odd prank, but Loki's 'humour' seems to always end up endangering innocents -- and then he turns about and does something, dare we say, good. He is unpredictable and untrustworthy... but he is still Thor's brother... * Odin - Odin is the All-Father. What he says is stronger than law; it is... doctrine. Doctine can be... awfully frustrating. Fandral is may not like the restrictiveness of Odin's rule, but he would gladly give his life in its defense. * Hercules - Pompous Ass. Very well then, he is the son of another god. Hercules is a strong as he is brash and egotistical -- which means he is really, really strong. Thor is still a match for him (which is encouraging!), and he is a fierce warrior. * Captain America - This... Mortal has lived but a fraction of the years that Fandral has, and yet he manages to command with obvious authority -- even the mighty Thor follows his orders (at times)! Astounding. * Iron Man - So this is what the Mortals of Midgard refer to as a 'playboy'. Fandral could teach this one a thing or two about wooing women... (Granted, Stark would probably say the same of himself). Stark is a genius, of that there is no doubt, and a warrior in his own right. He has earned Fandral's respect, and friendship. * Marian - The Maid Marian of legend... she was no legend to Fandral; she was very, very real. Marian holds the eternal honour of being the only woman to wholly win Fandral's heart. He married her and dwelt with her until she passed away from old age; even now, after all this time, it is too beautiful and too painful for him to speak her name, save in a whisper. Characters with Rels Set Volstagg: Fandral, the swashbuckling warrior is Volstagg's friend, for all the times that Fandral pokes fun at his girth there are few that can better watch one another's side, and Fandral is also apt to playfully let Volstagg take credit for some of the successes of the Warriors and not call him too blatantly on some of Volstagg's excesses. Staff Notes Category:Sheets Category:Earth-24800 Sheets